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--:-- Host (John Bickley): Welcome to Morning Wire. I'm John Bickley, and I'm joined by my co-host Georgia Howe. Today's show is brought to you by Shopify and Kikoff.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with us, everyone. We've got a lot to cover today, so let's get right into it.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): First up, a reminder that Mint Mobile is still offering premium wireless for just $15 a month. If you haven't made the switch yet, here are 15 reasons why you should. [pause] It's $15 a month, no big contracts, I use it, my mom uses it... [chuckles] Are you playing me off? That's what's happening, right? Okay. Give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of $45 for a three-month plan, $15 per month equivalent required. New customer offer, first three months only. Then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. See mintmobile.com.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, let's move on to our top story. RFK Jr. is pushing for reform of the organ transplant system after an investigation found what he called "horrifying results." I'm joined now by Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestigiacomo. Amanda, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Thanks, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, what did the investigation find, and what plans does the agency have for change?
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: So, this investigation was taken on by HHS's Health Resources and Services Administration. They looked at 351 cases out of Kentucky where organ donation was approved but not completed. 103 of those cases, about 30%, showed what HHS called "concerning features," including 73 patients who showed neurological signs incompatible with organ donation. At least 28 patients may not have been dead at the time the organ procurement had started. Some of these patients died within hours, but others lived for multiple days, and some became well enough to actually leave the hospital.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's shocking. And outside of this investigation, the New York Times recently highlighted some incredibly disturbing cases where pushes for organs threatened potential donors.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Yes, that's right. In one case, a 42-year-old Alabama woman had her chest cut open and her breastbone sawed before the doctors noticed that her heart was still beating and she was breathing.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): [interrupting] That's horrific. And Kennedy, who leads HHS, called the investigation findings "horrifying." His department said that they found a systemic disregard for the sanctity of life. Kennedy said that organ procurement organizations that coordinate access to these transplants will be held accountable. He added that the entire system must be fixed to ensure that every potential donor's life is treated with the sanctity it deserves.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: That's right. And the findings did list a number of issues that need to be addressed, such as poor neurological assessments and the lack of coordination within medical teams. But the ethics of organ procurement organizations, known as OPOs, were specifically called into question.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And this federal inquiry was actually first sparked by a case involving a Kentucky man who overdosed in 2021.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: That's right. Now, that OPO, which is now called the Network for Hope, was the center of that investigation. While hospital staffers were apparently uncomfortable moving forward, they were scared they were actually committing euthanasia. An OPO coordinator assured staffers that everything was above board. Eventually, though, a doctor said he wouldn't move forward, and the man in question apparently cried, pulled his knees to his chest, and shook his head. That patient became well enough to leave the hospital, and he's still alive today.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): [interrupting] That's incredible. And what sort of reforms are being suggested?
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Well, we actually heard directly from Barry Mossa, the CEO of Network for Hope, that OPO from Kentucky. He said they're committing their own internal investigations, and they've implemented new standards to protect organ donors.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks, Amanda. We'll continue to follow this story and bring you updates as more information becomes available.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Now, let's move on to our next story. Brian Koberger was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murders of four University of Idaho students on Wednesday. Daily Wire reporter Marietta Lordi is here with more. Marietta, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Marietta Lordi: Thanks, John.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): So, tell us about this very emotional sentencing hearing.
--:-- Marietta Lordi: Yes, so Koberger was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murders of Kaylee Gonsalves, Madison Mogan, Zana Kurnodal, and Ethan Chapin. He stabbed the four University of Idaho students in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022, at an off-campus house. Investigators said he had no connection to the victims, but he had planned the murders for months.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's horrific. And what did some of the victim impact statements look like?
--:-- Marietta Lordi: Olivia Gonsalves, who's the sister of victim Kaylee, delivered a searing statement in which she told her sister's murderer to sit up straight. And onlookers wondered whether she might have gotten under Koberger's skin. Some of these might be familiar. So sit up straight when I talk to you. If you were really smart, do you think you'd be here right now? What's it like needing this much attention just to feel real?
--:-- Host (John Bickley): [interrupting] That's powerful. And what about the other victim impact statements?
--:-- Marietta Lordi: Madison Mogan's dad said his daughter supported him in his struggle with addiction. Maddie was my only child that I ever had. And she was the only great thing I ever really did and the only thing I was really ever proud of. And I thought we would have the rest of our lives together.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's heartbreaking. And what about Dylan Mortensen, the roommate who survived Koberger's brutal attack?
--:-- Marietta Lordi: What happened that night changed everything. Because of him, for a beautiful, genuine, compassionate people were taken from this world. He is a hollow vessel, something less than human.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): [interrupting] That's a powerful statement. And what about Kim Kurnodal, the aunt of Zana Kurnodal?
--:-- Marietta Lordi: She said she has already forgiven Koberger. You know, this is probably going to bother everybody. But Brian, I'm here today to tell you I have forgiven you. Because I no longer could live with that hate in my heart. And for me to become a better person, I have forgiven you.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's remarkable. And Koberger said he respectfully declined to speak at his sentencing hearing.
--:-- Marietta Lordi: That's right. He will likely be incarcerated in Idaho's only maximum security prison near Boise, which was opened in the 80s to house the state's most disruptive male residents.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): [interrupting] Well, hopefully this is the justice these families waited for these last three years. Marietta, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Marietta Lordi: Thanks, John.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Now, let's move on to our next story. Protests have erupted in the British town of Epping around a hotel being used to house asylum seekers, one of whom allegedly attacked a local girl. Joining us now to discuss is Guy Dampierre of the Prosperity Institute. Guy, thanks for coming on.
--:-- Guy Dampierre: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): So, there have been protests in Epping over a hotel housing asylum seekers, and there's allegations now of a sexual assault. So, what exactly is going on in Epping?
--:-- Guy Dampierre: So, protests began last Thursday, and they've carried on over the weekend. And they're about a 14-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted by an asylum seeker living in a nearby hotel. Now, the government has failed to stop the small boat crossings that have been going on since 2018. So, that's asylum seekers getting in small boats, going across the English Channel, and then basically getting picked up and brought into Britain.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's a lot of people. And what's the problem with the hotels?
--:-- Guy Dampierre: Well, the problem is for a lot of towns, the hotel is the place where people go to have their weddings or their celebrations. So, people are very upset that no matter where they live in the country, they're now getting a hotel with a large number of young foreign men, completely unvetted and sometimes violent and dangerous.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): [interrupting] That's a concern. And is the blowback contained to Epping or is there a sense that there's growing backlash in other areas as well?
--:-- Guy Dampierre: I think there is at the moment. There are so many headlines coming out that the mood in the country is changing enormously. I mean, it's very telling that Epping itself is not a poor northern town like the ones that rioted last year. This is a very leafy area. It's close to London. These are nice middle-class people who are coming out on the streets angrily.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's interesting. And what about the economic impact of immigration?
--:-- Guy Dampierre: Well, there's the danger, there's the culture, but there's also a third element, which is that Britain's not having a great time economically and immigration has always been promised as something that's a bit of a financial boon, that there would always be a free lunch. And it's not worked out like that at all. It's actually just become a massive welfare magnet.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): [interrupting] That's a concern. And what about the statistics on immigration and benefits?
--:-- Guy Dampierre: Well, we had a recent story saying that there are now 1.3 million foreigners who are claiming universal credit, which is the main form of benefits. That's a huge number of people, and it's a huge proportion of the foreigners that live in Britain. And we had another story recently that said that the amount of money being paid out every month in universal credit is getting close to a billion pounds a month.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's a lot of money. And what about the impact on the economy?
--:-- Guy Dampierre: That's not good for the economy. Definitely some eye-popping statistics there, and it sounds like just clearly not a sustainable situation.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): [interrupting] Well, thanks for coming on, Guy. Always good fun to be on the DW.
--:-- Guy Dampierre: Thanks for waking up with us.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): And if you're watching on YouTube, don't forget to like and subscribe. We'll be back this evening with more news you need to know. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for tuning in, everyone. We'll see you tonight.
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